Hope International Ministries

Elder’s Message: Small Groups Enriching Generations

Hi dear folks, we are sharing about pastoral care and in particular, it is in a small group setting where in pastoral care we are actually practicing our HIM core values of enriching life in the community. We are a life enriching community. Can we say amen to that? We are a caring community, a loving community. The principle of this is, of course, biblical. Jesus loved us so much that He gave Himself for us. Not only that, He cares for us, He protects us, and He even has a bright future for us. He tells us in John 10:10, He has come so that we may have life and have life to the fullest. I am so blessed because of that.

You know, as I look back over, say, 50 years, even before I joined Hope. I was in Melbourne, I was in an incredible Australian church and, you know, we were enriched through the church, through the fellowship with the people. And you know what? Because they enrich my generation. Now I’m able to enrich many other generations and in many other nations as well. So I’m encouraging us to enrich others around us because by enriching one generation, we have the potential to continue to enrich many other generations. It’s so powerful.

You know, when we care, when we love, when we impact and touch someone else’s life, they can take this impact upon their lives. Just like what has happened to me, I have learned it, I have received it, impacted from Australia, impacted from the input from our Hope movement for over 30 years. And because of that, I am now taking this to many, many places. Many, many generations to be able to impact them. So one generation being enriched can in turn enrich many other generations in many nations. Start with our small groups. Start with the people we are able to care for right around us. And I believe by doing that, we will be able to continue to multiply this life enriching community.

Lai Eng and I try to apply this in the following manner. There are three areas that we try to really enrich people’s lives around us, both in the people we fellowship with and in the places that we travel to, people we’re able to impact in our HIM family. The first area we try to impact is what I call Kingdom Focus. That means we spiritually upgrade the people that we relate with. When we relate with the people by this life enriching, we are building them up spiritually. Well, on a big scale, for example, we tried to build churches in Nepal and we upgrade the pastors and the leaders there, to help them spiritually. So they have a kingdom focus themselves and they bring that kingdom focus to their people in Nepal. We help to train them. We help to equip them. So they actually are able to multiply churches in Nepal. That’s upgrading them spiritually. The people that you relate with, perhaps you can think about how can I add a spiritual focus, a kingdom focus? How can I help upgrade each other spiritually?

Second area that we build life enriching is what I call life enrichment. That means to upgrade the person and to upgrade their livelihood. So in Nepal, likewise, we help them with skills and trade and business skills. You know, like in Nepal, we tried noodle making. They’re successful. In Africa, we help together to upgrade Billy, for example, in the Bible school, kingdom focus. And there’s another young man called Joe Garlee, which we’re helping him through an agricultural degree. Uplifting the person and upgrading, uplifting their livelihood. By upgrading one generation to help them with their livelihood, with helping them as a person, they in turn are able to upgrade their generations and the generations below them. That’s the second area.

The third area is what we call a word in season. That means by the relationship, we also give them a word of God in season. That means we also enrich their life by ministering, helping, telling about what God can do in their lives and in their season as well. So Lai Eng and I try to bring the principle of the Bible into a life focus. We help to upgrade them with a kingdom focus. We help to enrich them in their life, in their livelihood and as a person, and we help to give them a word in season. Through these areas, we are therefore able to actually build that person and that person to build the community. Together, I believe we can all become a life-enriching person and a life-enriching community.

Praise the Lord. God bless you as you continue to attempt this and apply it in your small group. Amen.

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